KULIM, March 8 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday chaired the Kulim District Development Meeting held at the Kulim Municipal Council here.
The Prime Minister arrived at the local authority building at 4.10pm and was received by Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor and Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
Also present were Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar and Kedah State Secretary Datuk Seri Norizan Khazali.
It is understood that among the matters discussed at the meeting were identifying urgent needs at the district level, including issues related to project implementation, delayed projects and ensuring that projects are carried out smoothly.
The meeting also touched on the upgrading of classrooms in schools in the district to ensure the smooth intake of six-year-old pupils entering Year One.
Other matters raised during the meeting included road construction, flood mitigation projects as well as the construction of a water treatment plant.
At the meeting, the Prime Minister was also understood to have stressed that development implementation at the district level should not merely follow old bureaucratic processes and called for the process to be expedited as long as it does not violate financial procedures and regulations.
Meanwhile, Anwar posted on Facebook that projects of interest to the people, such as additional classrooms to prepare for the admission of Year One pupils, and repairs to dilapidated schools must be accelerated without being bogged down by bureaucratic red tape that often delays action.
He said he had stressed to district officers and their teams the need to closely monitor the implementation of projects important to the people, especially those that are urgent.
“This is the third District Development Meeting that I have attended after Bentong in January and Kinta in February.
“This approach is crucial to ensuring policies and projects that were announced do not stop at the planning level, but instead are implemented effectively up to the district level,” he said.
Anwar said that attention also needs to be given to resolving local issues that have long plagued the people, such as flash floods, landslides, street lighting, dilapidated homes and lack of basic infrastructure in residential and industrial areas.
He also emphasised that information on project requirements and allocations must be coordinated more efficiently among all parties to expedite their implementation.
“The people’s problems cannot be allowed to drag on, and every planned effort must truly bring solutions that can be felt on the ground,” he added. — Bernama
Malay Mail – Malaysia
